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Gov’t supporters getting preference in sale of prime lots
— potential buyers claim
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, July 11, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
SEVERAL potential buyers of 54 prime lots marked for a housing development near Long Mountain, St Andrew, have accused the government-run Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) of political bias in their imminent sale.
The accusers charged that some of the names of politically connected persons had already been "pencilled in", ahead of the placing of advertisements inviting the public to purchase the lots.
SHOUCAIR... we have not yet allocated any land
BUCHANAN... Selection was done based upon a needs analysis
CHANG... nothing can be done to detract from the Beverly Hills houses
SHOUCAIR... we have not yet allocated any land
1/3 
They said that supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) were getting preferential treatment, despite the transparency promised by the housing agency.
"There seems to be some amount of secrecy regarding the deal and how it is being administered," said Al Gordon, one of those who complained to the Sunday Observer.
"I am a professional who wants to own a piece of land. I have no political affiliation, yet I hear that people are being hand-picked based upon their closeness to the governing party," Gordon claimed, speaking for several others.
"There was no consultation with citizens, like those in the Bamboo and Wellington areas, as happened when the NHDC (National Housing Development Corporation) was working on the Pines of Karachi. There is a lack of transparency. Nobody knows anything about it. The allocation of lots is shrouded in secrecy. What is the method of allocation that will be used?" asked one man who did not want his name published for fear of not being selected for one of the lots.
"They have exceeded suspicion. The public was not aware of the size or the price. All they have been seeing are surveyors and their instruments and a lot of pegs," said yet another who had similar fears.
But managing director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica Joseph Shoucair firmly rejected the charges of political bias in the selection, telling the Sunday Observer:
"We have not yet allocated any land. We have applied for an environmental permit to build a small scheme and it is being prepared by NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency)...If it is approved, the land will be sold by advertisements. For now, the permits for the 54 lots have not been approved."
Shoucair insisted that transparency would be applied when it comes to choosing qualified persons for the 54 lots which form part of the Greater Mona Estate development and is sandwiched between the controversial Long Mountain housing estate at one end and the Pines of Karachi at the opposite end.
A portion of the land was originally targeted for development by the HAJ's predecessor, the NHDC, with 14 lots initially down to be sold on the Beverly Hills side.
However, soon after the 2007 general election, the Jamaica Labour Party administration expanded the project to include 54 lots. The sizes of the lots were not immediately determined, but they are believed to be around a quarter-acre each.
Additionally, the possible cost of each lot was not available, although reports have suggested that some could be sold for as high as $10 million.
Responding to the claims of political bias, Water and Housing Minister Dr Horace Chang said that the lots would be distributed on a first-come, first-serveD basis.
"Nothing can be done to detract from the Beverly Hills houses. The Housing Agency will make the selections and they have a pretty decent system, so I don't know if there is a basis for concern about political bias," Chang said.
"We have a severe shortage of housing solutions in the Corporate Area, and my aim is to provide houses and lots for people who need them," the minister shot back.
Political bias is not the only accusation being levelled at the housing agency. Environmentally minded persons suggested there were breaches to be addressed.
They cite the location of the lots close to the Mona Reservoir, which supplies most of the Corporate Area with water, as well as the potential disturbance of wildlife.
"There also needs to be a determination of the type of rare birds and animals, and the type of trees that may be found there. Also, what solid waste-mitigating measures are in place," Winston J Fletcher told the Sunday Observer.
Shoucair responded that the environmental issues were being addressed by the relevant authority.
"We have applied for an environmental permit to build a small scheme and it is being prepared by NEPA," he said. "All of the land belongs to the Ministry of Housing. Unless and until there is an environmental permit, there will be no development."
Contacted for comment, NEPA confirmed that an application had been made to the organisation by the Housing Agency of Jamaica, but that a decision had not yet been made.
"I am aware that an application has been made, but it is still being processed," said NEPA spokesperson, Natalie Fearon.
"Part of our corporate responsibility is to process applications within 90 days, something that we are not always able to do, but we are improving," she said.
Developments in the general area have previously met with controversy. Three projects were planned under the previous political administration's controversial Operation Pride programme.
One of them was the Beverly Hills to Long Mountain development, which was built under a joint venture between the Ministry of Housing and a private developer.
A second scheme was planned for the Hope Gardens but fell into environmental and other problems after activists successfully lobbied against it. Instead, the developers turned to Long Mountain as an alternative and although that, too, had serious environmental challenges, it was completed amid howls of protests.
The other developments was the Pines of Karachi which were sold to a wide cross-section of mainly professionals, including policemen, soldiers, teachers, lawyers, journalists, soldiers, civil servants, nurses and judges.
The then Operation Pride project, formed under the PJ Patterson-led People's National Party administration, came under heavy fire for what critics similarly labelled as the lack of transparency and favouritism on some sites.
But Paul Buchanan, the man who conceptualised and headed that programme over two stints, snapped at the Sunday Observer for what he said was a suggestion that all had not been above board.
"Any JLP, NDM or people of other political persuasions who claim that the selection was unfair would be mischievous. The process was underlined by a National Ratification Committee, made up of public sector representatives, the Nurses' Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Teachers' Association, the Jamaica Civil Service Association, the Police Federation, the Junior Doctors' Association, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Police Officers' Association, among others.
"Selection was done based upon a needs analysis and applicants would be scored off a points system. The various sectors would make their recommendations regarding who would pre-qualify and then those names would go into a general pool for final selection," Buchanan recalled.
Regarding the present process, whereby the Housing Agency would do the selections, Buchanan said that he could understand the concerns of those who were sceptical of it.
"There is no mechanism like in the Pride project and there will be no cross-representation of sectors," he said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...l-bias_7789378
— potential buyers claim
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, July 11, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
SEVERAL potential buyers of 54 prime lots marked for a housing development near Long Mountain, St Andrew, have accused the government-run Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) of political bias in their imminent sale.
The accusers charged that some of the names of politically connected persons had already been "pencilled in", ahead of the placing of advertisements inviting the public to purchase the lots.
SHOUCAIR... we have not yet allocated any land
BUCHANAN... Selection was done based upon a needs analysis
CHANG... nothing can be done to detract from the Beverly Hills houses
SHOUCAIR... we have not yet allocated any land 1/3 "There seems to be some amount of secrecy regarding the deal and how it is being administered," said Al Gordon, one of those who complained to the Sunday Observer.
"I am a professional who wants to own a piece of land. I have no political affiliation, yet I hear that people are being hand-picked based upon their closeness to the governing party," Gordon claimed, speaking for several others.
"There was no consultation with citizens, like those in the Bamboo and Wellington areas, as happened when the NHDC (National Housing Development Corporation) was working on the Pines of Karachi. There is a lack of transparency. Nobody knows anything about it. The allocation of lots is shrouded in secrecy. What is the method of allocation that will be used?" asked one man who did not want his name published for fear of not being selected for one of the lots.
"They have exceeded suspicion. The public was not aware of the size or the price. All they have been seeing are surveyors and their instruments and a lot of pegs," said yet another who had similar fears.
But managing director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica Joseph Shoucair firmly rejected the charges of political bias in the selection, telling the Sunday Observer:
"We have not yet allocated any land. We have applied for an environmental permit to build a small scheme and it is being prepared by NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency)...If it is approved, the land will be sold by advertisements. For now, the permits for the 54 lots have not been approved."
Shoucair insisted that transparency would be applied when it comes to choosing qualified persons for the 54 lots which form part of the Greater Mona Estate development and is sandwiched between the controversial Long Mountain housing estate at one end and the Pines of Karachi at the opposite end.
A portion of the land was originally targeted for development by the HAJ's predecessor, the NHDC, with 14 lots initially down to be sold on the Beverly Hills side.
However, soon after the 2007 general election, the Jamaica Labour Party administration expanded the project to include 54 lots. The sizes of the lots were not immediately determined, but they are believed to be around a quarter-acre each.
Additionally, the possible cost of each lot was not available, although reports have suggested that some could be sold for as high as $10 million.
Responding to the claims of political bias, Water and Housing Minister Dr Horace Chang said that the lots would be distributed on a first-come, first-serveD basis.
"Nothing can be done to detract from the Beverly Hills houses. The Housing Agency will make the selections and they have a pretty decent system, so I don't know if there is a basis for concern about political bias," Chang said.
"We have a severe shortage of housing solutions in the Corporate Area, and my aim is to provide houses and lots for people who need them," the minister shot back.
Political bias is not the only accusation being levelled at the housing agency. Environmentally minded persons suggested there were breaches to be addressed.
They cite the location of the lots close to the Mona Reservoir, which supplies most of the Corporate Area with water, as well as the potential disturbance of wildlife.
"There also needs to be a determination of the type of rare birds and animals, and the type of trees that may be found there. Also, what solid waste-mitigating measures are in place," Winston J Fletcher told the Sunday Observer.
Shoucair responded that the environmental issues were being addressed by the relevant authority.
"We have applied for an environmental permit to build a small scheme and it is being prepared by NEPA," he said. "All of the land belongs to the Ministry of Housing. Unless and until there is an environmental permit, there will be no development."
Contacted for comment, NEPA confirmed that an application had been made to the organisation by the Housing Agency of Jamaica, but that a decision had not yet been made.
"I am aware that an application has been made, but it is still being processed," said NEPA spokesperson, Natalie Fearon.
"Part of our corporate responsibility is to process applications within 90 days, something that we are not always able to do, but we are improving," she said.
Developments in the general area have previously met with controversy. Three projects were planned under the previous political administration's controversial Operation Pride programme.
One of them was the Beverly Hills to Long Mountain development, which was built under a joint venture between the Ministry of Housing and a private developer.
A second scheme was planned for the Hope Gardens but fell into environmental and other problems after activists successfully lobbied against it. Instead, the developers turned to Long Mountain as an alternative and although that, too, had serious environmental challenges, it was completed amid howls of protests.
The other developments was the Pines of Karachi which were sold to a wide cross-section of mainly professionals, including policemen, soldiers, teachers, lawyers, journalists, soldiers, civil servants, nurses and judges.
The then Operation Pride project, formed under the PJ Patterson-led People's National Party administration, came under heavy fire for what critics similarly labelled as the lack of transparency and favouritism on some sites.
But Paul Buchanan, the man who conceptualised and headed that programme over two stints, snapped at the Sunday Observer for what he said was a suggestion that all had not been above board.
"Any JLP, NDM or people of other political persuasions who claim that the selection was unfair would be mischievous. The process was underlined by a National Ratification Committee, made up of public sector representatives, the Nurses' Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Teachers' Association, the Jamaica Civil Service Association, the Police Federation, the Junior Doctors' Association, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Police Officers' Association, among others.
"Selection was done based upon a needs analysis and applicants would be scored off a points system. The various sectors would make their recommendations regarding who would pre-qualify and then those names would go into a general pool for final selection," Buchanan recalled.
Regarding the present process, whereby the Housing Agency would do the selections, Buchanan said that he could understand the concerns of those who were sceptical of it.
"There is no mechanism like in the Pride project and there will be no cross-representation of sectors," he said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...l-bias_7789378
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